Elemental Plane of Water
The nature of water is to flow, not like the gusting wind or the leaping flame, but smoothly and steadily. It is the rhythm of the tide, the nectar of life, the bitter tears of mourning, and the balm of sympathy and healing. Given time, it can erode all in its path. A warm sun arcs across the sky of the Plane of Water, seeming to rise and set from within the water at the visible edge of the horizon. Several times a day, however, the sky clouds over and releases a deluge of rain, often accompanied by spectacular shows of lightning, before clearing up again. At night, a glittering array of stars and auroras bedecks the sky. The Plane of Water is an endless sea, called the Sea of Worlds, dotted here and there with atolls and islands that rise up from enormous coral reefs that seem to stretch forever into the depths. The storms that move across the sea sometimes create temporary portals to the Material Plane and draw ships into the Plane of Water. Surviving vessels from countless worlds and navies ply these waters with little hope of ever returning home. The weather on the plane is a lesson in extremes. If the sea isn't calm, it is battered by storms. On rare occasions, a tremor in the planar firmament sends a rogue wave sweeping across the plane, swamping entire islands and driving ships down to the reefs. Life flourishes in the upper reaches of the Sea of Worlds, called the Sea of Light because of the sunlight filtering down into the water. Aquatic humanoids craft castles and fortresses in the coral reefs. The marids are the distant stewards of this region, content to allow the lesser folk to compete for territory. The nominal emperor of the marids dwells in the Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls, an opulent palace made of coral and studded with pearls. The deeper extents of the plane, where no sunlight reaches, are called the Darkened Depths. Horrid creatures dwell here, and the absolute cold and crushing pressure mean a swift end to creatures accustomed to the surface or the Sea of Light. Krakens and other mighty leviathans claim this realm. Any land that rises above the surface of the sea is hotly contested by the few air-breathers that live on the plane. Fleets of rafts and ships lashed together serve as solid ground where nothing else is available. Most natives of the plane never break the surface of the sea and thus ignore these habitations. One of the few actual islands on the plane is the Isle of Dread. The island is connected to the Material Plane by means of a regular storm that sweeps over the island. Travelers who know the strange tides and currents of the plane can travel between worlds freely, but the storms also wreck ships from the Material Plane on the Island's shore. The region of the Plane of Water nearest the Swamp of Oblivion (on the Plane of Earth) is called the Silt Flats. The water is thick with soil and sludge, and turns. Into muddy ground before giving way to the great swamp between the planes. At the other extreme of the plane is the Sea oflce, bordering the Frostfell. The frigid water is choked with icebergs and sheet ice, inhabited by the cold-loving creatures that inhabit the Frostfell. Drifting icebergs can carry these creatures farther into the Plane of Water to threaten ships and islands in warmer seas. The Frostfell, also called the Plane of Ice, forms the border between the planes of Air and Water and is a seemingly endless glacier swept by constant, raging blizzards. Frozen caverns twist through the Plane of Ice, home to yetis, remorhazes, white dragons, and other creatures of cold. The inhabitants of the plane engage in a never-ending battle to prove their strength and ensure their survival. Its dangerous monsters and bitter cold make the Frostfell a dangerous place to travel. Most planar voyagers keep to the air, braving the powerful winds and driving snow to avoid setting foot on the great glacier. Category:Planes